The Wizard Tower - Renewed
by livin-in-my-head
Summary: *This is an edited version of my original "The Wizard Tower." Some people were complaining of difficulties reading because of the code for the page being visible in the actual chapter.* For five years, 300 people have lived in the Wizard Tower, Darkeness raging around them. Now, their lives are in jeopardy, and only one thing can save them: the lost apprentice, Septimus Heap.
1. Chapter 1

Nadia yawned, stretching. She rolled out of her bed and muttered a quick spell to make her bed. Madam Marcia always said that **Magyk** was not to be used for personal gain, but Nadia wholeheartedly disagreed. It was there, it was easy, and no one would ever know.

Nadia dressed and eyed herself in the **Magykal** full-length mirror. She looked "good and **Magyk** ," as her father would say.

Her tunic was brown, with cuffs and a collar of green. There were green swirls and tendrils snaking around Nadia's stomach and chest, a fashion that had only become popular in the last three years and still not wholly accepted with the people who hadn't let go of the simpler, more honest fashions in The Light Days. Around her neck was a simple silver chair with a small golden N on it, a gift from the wizard she was apprenticed to. Her shoes were sensible brown boots, like people said the Lost Princess Jenna wore. Nadia liked that connection to someone outside of her tiny world, although it was hard to remember much past the **SafeShield** and the rolling blackness beyond that.

Nadia shook her head free of those useless thoughts and left her bedroom, emerging into the slightly larger chamber where her family and friends spent some of their time each day chatting, arguing, or working.

Her mother was there with a steaming plate of pancakes and sausages. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Nadia, braiding her hair into a fishtail braid, crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at her mother.

"Thanks for getting breakfast ready," she said gratefully. She didn't feel like trekking down to the kitchen and standing in line for food right now.

"No problem," her mother said nonchalantly. "Just a simple food spell."

"Oh, of course," Nadia said, mock wounded. "You don't care enough to visit the kitchens for your poor, hungry daughter!"

After a short, invigorating chase around their apartment involving an unused spatula and lots of screaming that probably didn't make their neighbors happy, Nadia settled down and scarfed down the food, licking her lips and sending the plate to the sink with a simple cleaning spell.

"You know how Madam Marcia feels about that kind of magic," her mother said disapprovingly.

"I don't see Madam Marcia," Nadia said innocently.

Her mother rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, go away and leave me alone."

"I know when I'm not wanted," Nadia huffed, standing up and pecking her mother on the cheek. Then, she strode toward the door, which opens at her approach.

It was time to go learn magic.

Ordinary Wizard Julius, named after the Extra Ordinary Wizard of centuries ago, Julius Pike, had been awake for hours.

"You're late," he said curtly as Nadia closed the door behind her, flipping a page in his book.

She smiled, used to his brisk words and seemly harsh actions. "Nope. It's...7:30 _precisely_ according to my watch."

"Have I ever told you you sound just like the old Chief Hermetic Scribe, Jillie Djinn?" Julius asked absentmindedly.

"Yes. Every chance you get," laughed Nadia.

"Oh. Well, then." Julius clapped his hands, stood up, and asked, "Ready to do some magic?"

Nadia smiled. They had this exact conversation every morning. "Yes, Julius," she replied.

Julia nodded. "Today, we'll be working on **Transfixing**."

Nadia gulped. **Transfixed** things made her nervous. Their struggles, shown only through the terrified shine of their eyes. Their unnatural stillness...she explained this to Julius.

"Oh, my dear," he sighed. "Sometimes, we must do things we are uncomfortable doing. So we must be prepared for these moments."

"Prepare for the unprepared," Nadia quipped. Julius grinned, tossing her a small, purple, leather-bound notebook-her Apprentice Diary. Not as nice as the old Extra Ordinary Apprentice's had been, but it served its purpose.

She flipped open to the page, which magically marked the date at the top of the page in a crisp purple handwriting so different from her own chicken scratch.

"Record," she told it. As the page glowed a faint purple, she began to speak.

"Today, I begin my lessons in **Transfixing**." There was more she wanted to add, but not with Julius hovering over her shoulder.

"Stop recording."

As they walked to the spiral stairs at the middle of the Wizard Tower and stepped onto them, the stairs starting to move at a leisurely pace, Nadia took out a plain pen and began scribbling.

 _I have been studying_ _ **Transfixing**_ __ _for weeks. Now we're going to try it for real. I am scared-I hate_ _ **Transfixed**_ __ _things._

She sighed, closing the notebook and reminding herself that it was her duty to learn all she could about **Magyk**. For the sake of everyone inside the Wizard Tower.

They had stayed alive for five years. Nadia planned to keep in that way.


	2. Chapter 2

Julius and Nadia joined the throngs of people outside in the courtyard. There were young children playing happily, slightly older children discussing homework, the opposite gender, and various other things, and then there were the adults, talking guardedly and quickly. All seemed carefree and happy, but if you looked close enough you could see signs that the frail balance was coming undone.

A little girl stared mesmerized at the huge purple-ish see-through dome, and the ever-shifting **Darkeness** outside. A woman sat with her back to the said magical dome, crying slightly. Two children discussed their favorite candy shop, which should have been easy to spot, as it was right across the street from the Wizard Tower.

There was only one problem. It was infected by the **Darke** , while the Wizard Tower sat in a purple bubble of safety.

"Nadia!" Julius called impatiently, snapping his fingers under her nose. She realized he had been calling her for some time.

"You get stuck in the past much too frequently, Nadia," muttered, Julius, and waggled a finger at her feigned confused look. "You know what I'm talking about. I know you were thinking about your old life in the Ramblings. Well, there's no use now, Nadia. You are alive in here and would be dead out there. Feel grateful."

Nadia did feel grateful, every single time she saw the brimming **Darkeness** outside. But then she couldn't help but think about her old, happy, naïve life in that cozy room in the now **Darke** -infested Ramblings.

"Time to get **Transfixing**!" Julius said cheerfully, and Nadia snapped out of her reverie.

Julius drew from his bag the first creature she would be **Transfixing** -a small mouse.

She stated into its eyes as best she could while it struggled, and put all her mental ability into the task. The mouse stopped moving and started straight at her.

Julius set it on the ground. It did not move.

"Splendid, Nadia! Splendid!" he cried with joy, applauding heartily. He picked up the mouse and gestured for her to let go of the spell. She did so easily, and gasped for breath, her red face returning to its normal incredibly pale complexion-the result of five years without sunlight.

Julius noticed her fast-paced breathing and frowned. "Don't exert yourself too much, dear. It's not a spell that requires that much magic. You need to evenly spread out your magic so you don't get too tired and can keep the spell going for longer."

"And don't forget to breath," she chanted, smiling.

"I'm serious," Julius said. "But yes, don't forget that either."

Nadia grinned and tried again. This time she let only a thread of **Magyk** escape her, increasing its power until the mouse was under her thrall.

"Yes! So close, so close!" Julius cheered, and Nadia wanted to glare at him.

"What do you mean, _so close_?" she asked snappishly. "The mouse is under my control, isn't it?"

Julius, sensing his apprentice was losing her concentration over the tiny creature, scooped up the mouse and slipped it back into his special **Transfixing** bag, specially built to carefully hold mice, rabbits, and any creature in between.

Nadia had released it as soon as Julius picked it up, and now she stood, marveling at the power running through her and yet wondering what Julius had meant by "so close."

He explained. "You see, it took you a bit to hold the mouse in your mind. It was a little piece of time before I could put it down, and we don't want that pause. I expect you used a technique that is wonderful for beginners, but not so handy for real-life situations. Did you send out a bit of **Magyk** to our furry friend and then increase the power of said **Magyk** until you could control it?"

"Yes," murmured Nadia sheepishly.

"That's what I though," said Julius with satisfaction. "I would rather you send out too much **Magyk** and have to take some back than use too little **Magyk** and have your prey get away from you. Understood?"

"Understood."

They worked a bit more on **Transfixing** until Nadia was certain she understood. Then Julius raised a sour point.

"You do have to study for your **Transfixing** , do you not?"

"Yes," she muttered. Nadia was more of a hands-on learned. She found it incredibly hard to sit still and read or write for too long. It was the reason most of her journal entries were short and distant, and why most of her essays were small and to the point. Luckily, Julius didn't seem to mind for check-in quizzes, but this was an end-of-unit quiz, similar to the ones she had once taken in her school in the Ramblings. It would require a bit more than a hurried paragraph about the easiest creature to **Transfix**.

Crossing her arms, she hurried back into the Wizard Tower and waited for the stairs to stop moving down so she could take them up to the top of the Wizard Tower.

It was to the library with her.


	3. Chapter 3

Nadia kicked at the leg of the worn table she was sitting at. She twirled her yellow pencil through her fingers and chewed on a strand of hair. When she spat it out, she combed through it and tore up the pieces of hair she accidentally pulled from her head.

Finally, after Nadia had been drumming on the tabletop for a good three minutes, Julius sighed and said, "Okay, Nadia, what if I read it to you?"

Nadia mentally cheered, but kept a serene, calm smile on her face. "Okay," she agreed as if she couldn't care less.

Julius told stories in a way no one else could, even with nonfiction. He would stop the story to tell her interesting facts about the palace.

Julius licked his forefinger, rubbed a piece of paper between it and his thumb, and nodded with satisfaction. Then he settled into the comfortable armchair, held the book with his left hand, and began to read in his deep, serious reading voice. Nadia smiled with pleasure.

" **Transfixing** is an ancient and important spell in the world of **Magyk**. It has been used it many famous situations, one of the most famous including the time when one of the previous ExtraOrdinary wizards **Transfixed** a naughty princess while her mother sneakily removed all her favorite toys and books from the nursery." Julius looked up from the book, meaning he was about to add to the story.

"When that little girl woke up, so to speak, she was _furious!_ Do you know who that nasty little girl grew up to be?"

Nadia ran through all the bad queens in her head, but wasn't sure which one she should choose. She shook her head uncertainly.

"The dreaded Queen Etheldredda!"

Nadia gasped. It was well-known that Etheldredda and her children were big trouble. Not only had she tried to drown the Lost Princess Jenna Heap in a time other than her own, but her nasty son had kidnapped the Lost ExtraOrdinary Apprentice Septimus Heap and then followed him to the current time to become the Castle Alchemist...even though according to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard and her apprentice, the last time there had been an Alchemist, he had nearly burned the Castle down! Oh, yes... _it was the same Alchemist both times._

Julius smiled at the shock on her face and told another tale, this time about the Lost ExtraOrdinary Apprentice.

"Can you recite the names of all Septimus Heap's brothers?"

Nadia scrunched up her face, trying to remember them all. "Jo-Jo, Nicko, Simon, Edd, Erik, and...and..." She thought hard. "Oh! Sam!"

"Very good, only the order is all wrong," Julius said, smiling. "Simon, Sam, Edd, Erik, Jo-Jo, Nicko, Septimus."

Nadia shook her head in bemusement. How the elderly Wizard managed to keep all those boys in his head, all lined up in order, escaped her.

"Anyway, the oldest one, Simon, had a bit of a rough patch for a few years. He...meddled with the **Darke**."

Nadia's eyes widened in shock. The **Darke** was serious. It was not something to be _meddled with_.

"One year, a year after Septimus had been reunited with his family and Jenna was openly revealed as adopted, Simon came back to the Castle. He was a changed man, riding a midnight black horse and already planning to help an evil necromancer take over the very Wizard Tower we are sitting in."

Nadia shivered.

"He kidnapped Jenna and tried to ride off with her. Septimus caught up with him and **Transfixed** his horse for a short time so Simon could not get away."

Nadia tried to think about **Transfixing** something that large and found she could not do it. How to even start?

"We want to get you to that point, Nadia. That point means that you could be thrust into any dire situation and still be able to react with **Magyk** quickly and efficiently."

Nadia nodded. She thought about the Lost Princess and the Lost ExtraOrdinary Apprentice, and fervently hoped they were all right.

Julius continued reading to her for a while, and then suggested they return to their rooms and take a break. Nadia leapt at the idea and hoped a few steps up the stairs, so eager to get to her hobby as she was.

Julius disappeared into his study, and she into hers. Nadia knew exactly what she would do with this coveted free time, and this was carve.

Nadia was an exceptionally good carver. She wasn't the best of the best, but her figurines did capture certain lifelike qualities. She was currently working on a bear with a fish in its mouth.

The bear's body was beginning to take shape. It would have a rough starting form, but Nadia would clean up her messy edges and add details later.

She carefully carved out a small tail and worked on the legs, an especially hard part of any animal. As she worked she hummed, loving the fact that she was done with the boring work of the day and could now crack down on this small hunk of wood.

She heard an urgent pounding on her door and thrust it open. Julius stood there, looking terrified. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her to he stairs, shoving her on as soon as they stopped to pick them up. They were on emergency mode. Nadia wondered why with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"What is is, Julius?" she asked over the sound of screams and an odd buzzing.

"The **SafeSheild**!" he hollered. "There's something wrong with the **SafeShield**!"


	4. Chapter 4

Nadia gaped at the crowd of people rushing outside. She knew about how many people lived in the Wizard Tower and the tents in the courtyard-three hundred, maybe less-and they all seemed to be rushing to the doors.

Underneath it all, Nadia felt a low humming, a slight rumble, and then a sharp _crack!_ resonated all around them.

Some people in the crowd started to push against the current of people desperate to get outside, where Nadia assumed all of this noise and vibration was coming from, but it was near impossible with the sheer amount of people slowing their progress.

Julius kept an iron grip on her arm. Nadia, heart beating, tried to swallow the panic rising in her throat. What was happening?

She stumbled outside. The crowd of people around her stopped dead, only to be pushed forward by the new surge of people. Nadia noticed that there was at least a three-foot space between the crowd of people surging out of the Wizard Tower and the **SafeShield** was at least five feet.

Nadia quickly learned why.

Another _crack!_ filled the air and a jagged line of yellow, like lightning, cut through the **SafeShield**.

Screams and wails filled the air. Red sparks popped in and out of existence on various spots across the **SafeShield**.

"All Wizards and Apprentices must report to the Wizard Tower library immoderately," ordered Marcia Overstrand, ExtraOrdinary Wizard, using a voice projection spell.

Nadia was now the one to pull Julius as she made good use of her elbows and jammed them into sides, limbs, and sometimes heads. She left a trail of, "Hey! Watch it!" in her wake, but it didn't matter. She had to get to the library and _fast_.

The main area of the Wizard Tower wasn't as crowded, but there was still a good number of people milling, baffled, about, waiting for an opening to open up outside so they could see what was going on.

The library was crowded with all the Ordinary Wizards and their Apprentices. There was a low hum of uncertainty and fear in the air, but also a certain grim acceptance. _They knew this would happen one day,_ realized Nadia. _They knew._

"Quiet, please." Everyone turned to see Marcia Overstrand standing in the doorway.

She was dressed in a long purple cloak with the familiar ExtraOrdinary Wizard belt and the **Magykal** Ahku Amulet hung around her neck. Her shoes were, of course, purple pointy Python-skin. They curled up slightly at the ends, and Nadia found herself wondering if, at first, Marcia's feet had hurt at wearing such shoes.

The noise in the room died down. Marcia cleared some brown curly hair from her face and pursed her lips, vibrant green eyes traveling over each person in the room. Nadia dropped her gaze when the eyes reached her.

"We all knew this day was coming," said Marcia gravely.

 _No,_ thought Nadia. _I didn't._

"We have prepared for it the best we could, but I fear it is not enough. All wizards will now stay in this library, helping to stabilize the **SafeShield**. Your jobs, Apprentices, are to make sure that your wizards are comfortable. I'm sorry for thrusting this duty upon all of you, but I fear that if we do not, every living thing within this Tower and its Courtyard will perish."

Nadia swallowed hard. She scrunched her hands into fists and shared a quick glance with Julius.

"So what, we just stay in here for the rest of our lives, constantly holding up one spell?" asked an Apprentice angrily.

Nadia was glad someone had voiced the thought.

"I don't see what else to do," Marcia murmured. "Until we come up with another solution, yes, that is precisely what will be happening."

The Apprentice made as if to storm off, but his Ordinary Wizard grabbed his shoulder forcefully and gave him a warning glare.

Marcia positioned the chairs around the table-just enough for each Wizard, Nadia noticed, into a comfortable position-not too far away from the table, but close enough to use its contents.

Nadia felt a bubble of scared preparation in her stomach. She clenched and unclenched her fists.

"Please, go fetch anything you wish to have with you, a change of clothes, and things to keep you comfortable and clean," Marcia instructed. It was obvious this course of action had been given a lot of thought.

The wizards dispersed. Nadia and Julius didn't talk as they separated to go to their rooms.

Nadia's mother wasn't there. She assumed de was out in the Courtyard with everyone else.

Nadia wrote her a quick note explaining where she was, promising that she would be all right, and would probably have to return at some point. She left it on the kitchen table.

Nadia really didn't know what else to do. She didn't need anything comfy for a chair, as she didn't have one. She would be returning to her rooms, surely, to sleep and eat, or at least to get more supplies.

Finally, she grabbed a piece of bread and a few crackers in case she got hungry.

Running up to Julius' rooms, she rapped hesitantly on the door. She felt lousy about having to be a waitress possibly for the rest of her life-how would Julius feel, being locked into this?

There was silence for a moment. Then the door swung slowly open and Julius stood in front of her.

Nadia's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her brave, strong mentor looking so defeated. It was hard to imagine the immense strain of supporting three hundred plus lives, with death for all if you failed.

Julius clapped a hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Nadia. Listen to me and don't interrupt," he commanded. She nodded once.

"There is no way we can keep the failing **SafeShield** up for more than a few weeks at most. When we do fail, and it is inevitable, then everyone will perish, consumed by the **Darknesse**."

Nadia shivered and felt her eyes prickling with tears at the hopelessness of it all.

"You need to escape. There...there are the Ice Tunnels. They stretch under the castle and, I suspect, much farther. If they are not **Darknesse** -infected, then they could be used as an escape route."

Nadia started to ask why they hadn't been opened before, but remembered Julius' first commands and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"It is precisely the idea of **Darkenesse** that has kept people from opening the Tunnels," said Julius with a ghost of a smile. "The entrance is in the janitor's cupboard in the main area of the Wizard Tower." Julius briefly closed his eyes and sighed. "Come, my dear. Let us go."

Nadia followed her mentor up to the library, knowing what Julius wanted her to do and hating it.

But she knew what she had to do.

She had to open the Ice Tunnels.


	5. Chapter 5

It was night when Lilian Learen was woken by a nervous, almost embarrassed knock on her door. She flung it open, marimba key at the ready to hit someone, and froze at the sight of her best friend, Nadia.

"Nadia? What the-" she started at the same time Nadia asked in confusion, "Why are you threatening me with a marimba key?"

"Well, I think if you smashed this into the side of someone's head, it would take 'em out," Lilian said matter-of-factly. "Now, why are you here?"

"I need your help," said Nadia. "It's...it's a really big deal."

"It's about the **SafeShield** , isn't it?" Lilian asked quietly.

Nadia was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"This is a horrible plan," muttered Lilian as she picked at the one-size-too-tight robes of an Ordinary Wizard Apprentice.

"I think an even worse plan is sitting here waiting for the **SafeShield** to collapse and the **Darkenesse** to roll on in," Nadia said cheerily, unclasping her silver butterfly necklace and fastening it around Lilian's neck. Finally, she covered her friend's black hair, so different from her own dirty blond locks, with her robe's hood. "There," she said with satisfaction. "Just like me."

Lilian raised her eyebrows and Nadia's face crumpled. "Just keep your head down," she said in a shaking voice.

"You better be fast about this whole find-the-Apprentice thing," demanded Lilian, hugging her friend, a waved finding its way into her voice, too. "Because I sure ain't cut out to be a waitress."

Nadia laughed, wiping her nose and kissing her friend's cheek. "Bye, Lilian."

"Have fun," her friend said sincerely.

"I will," Nadia said, although she didn't see how. The weight of 300 plus people's lives, futures, rested on her shoulders. She wouldn't have time to have fun, even if she wanted.

Her friend smiled. "So, when do I start?"

"In three hours. Get some sleep," suggested Nadia. "It's kinda tiring."

"Not as tiring as finding someone who's been lost for five years," said Lilian truthfully.

"Goodbye, Lilian," said Nadia, clutching her backpack to her chest.

"Goodbye," her friend said solemnly, and Nadia gently closed the door of her apartment behind her.

She felt a tendril of dread curve in her stomach, and she took a deep, shuddering breath. She knew where the IceTunnel entrance was exactly, thanks to quick, hushed words with Julius during his food breaks.

Her breaths came in short, fast gasps. Everyone had been ordered into their rooms, with the assurance that everything would be quite all right. _Lies,_ thought Nadia. _Lies, all of it._

She ignored the floor of the main area of the first floor of the Wizard Tower, which asked questioningly, **Where are you going, Apprentice? Please return to your room.**

Nadia stood in front of the broom cupboard that Julius swore the Tunnel entrance was. She opened the door, gritting her teeth at the creaks and groans it gave out.

There it was. A round door with a strange handle, lined with lapis lazuli and otherwise plain grey, stared back at her.

She pressed her ear to it. The metal was cold to the touch, and she drew back in surprise. Nadia knew nothing about the Tunnels. She had been told by Julius that technically, only very important people were supposed to know about the Ice Tunnels. Nadia, out of politeness, had refrained from asking how, then, Julius knew about them.

She drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to sense any **Darkeness** that may have laid in wait beyond the door.

A cold feeling trickled through her, moving faster and faster as she sensed the huge amount of **Darke** power surging around the Wizard Tower, trying desperately to find a chink in the armor and squeeze its way through, poisoning and killing and staining the small amount of life left in the Castle with **Darkeness**. And now it was trying to find a way into her, to twist her mind and corrupt her soul, use her until she was no more, just a broken body on the ground.

Nadia's eyes flew open and she struggled for breath as the **Darkeness** left her. She had been so terrified at the hopelessness washing over her that she couldn't even remember if she had felt any **Darkeness** coming from the Ice Tunnels.

She reached tentatively out toward the **Darkeness** , but snatched her **Magyk** back when she realized that with so little training in matters of the **Darke** , she would never be able to distinguish which direction the evil forces were coming from before being **Consumed**.

She had no choice. Everyone would die anyway if she left the Ice Tunnels alone, relived Lilian of her acting duties, and pretended like this had never happened.

Taking a deep breath, she grasped two of the handle spokes and wrenched them to the left. The door creaked open with a hissing noise, and a wave of extreme cold hit Nadia in the face. She pulled up the scarf fastened around her neck, zipped her coat, and forged onward into the darkness-but not **Darkeness** -that was the Ice Tunnels.


	6. Chapter 6

It was freezing. Nadia pulled her coat tight around herself and shivered violently. Her teeth clattered together. She wanted to do a quick fire spell, but decided conserving her magic was better. Five minutes later, she decided that she could discard her light spell in favor of a fire spell, which would warm her and light the tunnel (granted, not as well).

The fire glowed warmly and her shivering slowed. Her teeth still chattered, but not as painfully clacking-together chattering.

She heard a moaning down the tunnel and flattened herself against the wall, cold as it was.

She saw a strange disturbance in the air down the hall, a bit like looking directly above a fire. Only, bits of ice and snowflakes whirled around it.

On instinct, Nadia held very still and held her breath as the disturbance passes. A dreadful cold washed over her, much worse than any she had ever felt, and despair filled her mind. This whole expedition was useless! How could one little girl possibly hope to find a person who could have gotten halfway around the world, given five years? The **SafeShield** was going to break. The hundred of people were going to die. And it was _all Nadia's fault._

Nadia curled up on the floor. _Maybe I could just stay here and die,_ she thought disconsolately. _No one would miss me._

Her loved one's faces flashed through her head. Her best friend, who had agreed to lie and become a servant for her. Julius, who loved her enough to let her go. Her mother, who had always been there for her, who had scooped her up and ran with her to the Wizard Tower when the **Darkeness** has first arrived.

Nadia shook her head and stood up. _I won't let their efforts be for nothing,_ she thought firmly.

 _I will find Septimus Heap._

Soon, she came to a fork in the tunnel. She debated which way to go before realizing that there must be some kind of signage or marking.

Sure enough, she found a sign frozen to the tunnel wall written in old, curling letters. It took her a while to decode the top line, and groaned with frustration when she discovered it read "The Wizard Tower" with a curling symbol she supposed was a fancy arrow.

The next line was more helpful. "The Manuscriptorium," it read. Nadia jotted it down in her memory and tried the other tunnel.

Again, the top line read "The Wizard Tower." The bottom line said, "The Castle."

Nadia tried to remember a map of the castle and decided the Manuscriptorium was more in the direction of the Port, which would be a good place to start looking.

She began to walk.

Twenty minutes later, Nadia's toes zinger with pain whenever she put her weight on them, and her fingers were losing feeling. She had in no way prepared correctly.

 _Is this my fate?_ she wondered. _To die in the Ice Tunnels while the_ _ **Darkenesse**_ __ _kills my friends and family?_

No. This could not be her end. She would not _allow_ it to be her end. So she struggled onward, occasionally yawning with exhaustion.

Finally, she noticed a ladder in the wall next to her. It led up to a porthole.

She climbed up the ladder and touched the door. It cracked with **Darke** energy and she almost let go of her hold on the ladder in shock.

There was no way she could go up there. So she continued down the hall.

Following the sparse signage, Nadia stopped as she came to a long expanse of tunnel. She couldn't even see the end of it.

She was faced with a choice: give up on this mad expedition, turn home, and explain to Julius that she had failed...or try the long tunnel in hopes that it would have an exit to the Port.

She blew on her fingers, stamped her feet, rekindled her fire, and started walking forward yet again.

When she came to the first ladder, she was so cold that she gladly scrambled up it and read the tiny label.

"The Boatyard."

Her voice came out cracked and scratchy. She swallowed and tried again.

"The Boatyard."

This time, her words rang with confidence.

She hesitantly placed a fingertip on the porthole. No **Darke Magyk** that she could feel.

One hefty twist later, Nadia was climbing through the porthole and hitting her head on the run in Janit Maartin's small house.

Of course, Nadia did not know it was Janit Maartin's house. All she knew was that it was deserted and blessedly _warm._

She scrubbed her coat sleeve on the grimy window and peered through the thick layer of persistent dust. "Summer!" she exclaimed in surprise. It had been so long since she had seen the sun that she took a moment to drink it in, loving the way it burned her eyes and made tears streak down her cheeks-not just from the light.

She stepped outside and promptly removed one of her coats. Throwing it aside she glanced to her right. Broken, repaired, and somewhere-in-between boats littered the ground.

Nadia glanced to her left and gasped.

The wall of the Castle opened up to a huge lapis lazuli chamber. Inside, there was a huge opening. _Some colossal boat that lays anchor in there,_ mused Nadia. Shaking her head, she looked around for a whole boat that she could sail to the Port.


	7. Chapter 7

Nadia finally decided on a decent-looking sailboat, but found when she got it in the water that it leaked. A few more boats had the same results before she came across a gorgeous boat with golden lining and lapis coloring called _The Muriel._

She began to drag the boat farther out into the water until she heard a voice shout angrily, "Oy! Who do you think you are, boat thief?" A short, stocky woman with pale blond hair braided and messy stormed angrily toward her.

Nadia stood straight and proud. "Ma'am, I am Nadia Lockwood and I am going to the Port." With that, she turned back to the tricky business of dragging the boat into the water.

"Where did you _come from?_ "

"The Wizard Tower, ma'am."

"Wha-is there anyone else in there?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"How _many?_ "

"Oh, hundreds, ma'am."

The woman stood with her mouth open and laughed with disbelief. "So why are you leaving them behind, then?"

Nadia stopped. Why wasn't she taking everyone with her, now that she knew the Tunnels were safe?

"I-I don't know, ma'am."

"Stop calling me ma'am!" said the woman angrily. "I am Janit Maartin and that'll be Janit to you."

"Yes, ma-Janit. Can you-can you come back through the Ice Tunnels with me?" Now that Nadia was out in the open, she dreaded the thought of returning to the freezing tunnels.

Janit heard the fear in Nadia's voice and softened. "Of course, dear."

The walk seemed shorter now that Nadia had company. She filled Janit in and watched with amusement as the woman's eyes for larger and larger.

"So you mean to tell me that for the past _five years_ you've been trapped in the Wizard Tower?"

"Yeah. Why wasn't your boatyard affected?"

"Oh, it was. Septimus was able to push back the **Darkenesse** and cure me before he collapsed. Almost died, he did."

"Wait-where is he?" asked Nadia with excitement. "Septimus, I mean."

"Gone. Took the princess and some fellow from the Manuscriptorium with him. Reckon they're halfway across the world already."

Nadia felt despair rising up through her. "I don't have that long!"

"Why not?"

"The **SafeShield's** failing!"

Janit broke into a run. "Come on!" she yelled over her shoulder. "Didn't realize it was that urgent!"

Nadia followed after only a second of pause. Slipping and sliding on the ice, the woman and girl made it in record time to the Wizard Tower hatch.

Nadia yanked it open and leapt through it, much to the surprise of the huge crowd of people gathered there. "Hey!" one shouted. "Where'd you come from?"

"I live here," said Nadia breathlessly as Janit pushed past her and screamed in a hoarse, throaty voice, "PIPE DOWN!"

The crowd quieted.

"This young woman has traveled through a network of ancient passageways called the Ice Tunnels," bellowed Janit like an angry tour guide. "They are free of the **Darkenesse** and, if traveled correctly, will take you to a **Darkenesse** -free place: my boatyard."

"Janit?" a voice called out uncertainly, and Janit nodded curtly. The crowd erupted into conversation and surged forward.

Nadia saw it was time to take action. "WILL YOU _PLEASE_ BE QUIET!" she screamed at the top of her lungs; and anyone who has ever known a preteen or a teenager knows this is an incredible, eardrum-shattering noise.

The crowd stopped moving forward and became mostly quiet.

"Go pack your things. Tell everyone you see. Soon, we'll be in Janit's boatyard and you will be assigned boats to sail to the Port. Understood?" Nadia was surprised when almost everyone nodded or murmured consent. She had been completely making up this plan and had apparently still seemed confident enough for people to believe her.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" demanded Janit. "Get goin'!"

The crowd surged toward the stairs, chatting, crying, and laughing. It was a sea of emotions, all of them good.

Nadia placed a hand on Janit's shoulder. "Thank you. I need to go get the wizards and my mother now."

Janit nodded and smiled warmly. "Go."

For some reason, Nadia got more and more nervous as she approached her mother's and her rooms. She had no idea what her mother would think about her sneaking off and risking the lives of everyone in the Wizard Tower, or singlehandedly causing an evacuation.

Her mum opened the door on the second knock and grinned. "You look exhausted. Is serving the wizards that tiring?"

"I haven't exactly been serving the wizards," mumbled Nadia, and explained the whole thing hurriedly as she pushed past her shocked mother and began packing clothes in a duffel bag.

Sometimes, Nadia loved her mother so much it was hard to imagine she deserved her as a mum. She decided this was one of those times when she finished her story, and her mother immediately started helping her pack.

"Remember your old wagon?" asked her mum.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"We still have it..."

Nadia thought about it and grinned.

The group of people in the hallways were growing. They were all dressed warmly: the title _Ice Tunnels_ had clued them in.

Nadia and her mother walked through the crowd, her mother dragging a half-filled wagon behind her.

"Are there any sick, elderly, pregnant, or otherwise disabled?" asked Nadia.

A group of people moved slowly to the front of the crowd.

"Line up and put your things in the wagon," ordered Nadia. They did so.

"Have any of you been serving the wizards?" she asked next. "If so, please follow me." To her mother and Janit she said, "Start taking them to the boatyard, please."

She was followed by a thin stream of apprentices. As she ordered the stairs on emergency mode and her fellow apprentices held on tightly, her mind became a jumble of mixed thoughts. How would she explain this to Julius? Marcia?

Any of them?


	8. Chapter 8

The stairs stopped. Nadia climbed off, closely shadowed by the other Apprentices. She understood that most-no, all-would rather be escaping with their friends and family than be trapped in a dying Wizard Tower.

Nadia wondered what would become of the **Magykal** place once the **Darkenesse** broke in. It was not a good thought to harbor.

The Wizards were still seated around the table. Nadia waited. Watched and waited.

Finally, an elderly Ordinary Wizard named Kenza stood. It was her break.

Her Apprentice rushed over and offered her a slice of bread while he explained the situation. The old woman's eyes got wonder and wider. She frowned and murmured something to the boy, gesturing to Marcia. Then, she took a sip of water and resumed her post.

"What did she say?" hissed Nadia as the boy returned to her side.

"She says she doesn't think they can leave, but that we'd have to ask Madam Marcia."

Nadia nodded. As the group looked expectantly at her, she realized it would be up to her to disturb Marcia.

That thought wasn't a good one to harbor, either.

She hesitantly tapped the great Wizard's shoulder. Marcia's emerald eyes snapped open and she glared at Nadia.

"I need to concentrate!" she snapped. "What do you want?"

"The Ice Tunnels," said Nadia nervously. "They're safe to travel. We're evacuating right now. You guys are the last ones left in the Tower." As an afterthought, she added, "Madam Marcia."

Marcia's eyes closed again and she sighed a deep, long, pained sigh. "Oh, child. I wish we could leave. But if we stopped sending **Magyk** to the **SafeShield,** it would instantly collapse."

"And kill us all," Nadia finished.

"Yes." Marcia sighed again, a sort of giving-up sigh.

"Can anyone leave?"

"Not really. But...just in case...save the books."

"What?" That hardly seemed like a priority at the moment.

"If...if we don't make it, then you Apprentices will have to teach yourselves. The books will help. Grab one from every letter of the alphabet. There are wheeled crates in the back. They have handles. Once all are filled, go."

"We can't leave you!" exclaimed Nadia. She lowered her voice as many Wizards shifted uncomfortably. "We _can't._ "

Marcia laid a hand on her shoulder and Nadia felt the **Magykal** energy crackle through her. "Please. I don't have time to argue with you. Go. Take the other Apprentices. We'll manage."

Nadia stood up straight and tall. "Madam Marcia," she said confidently. "I will go find help. I am going to find Septimus Heap."

Marcia sighed another giving-up sigh and this time did not open her eyes. She was back to sending out all her **Magyk,** to keep this room full of amazing people alive for...what? A few days? Not even?

Nadia was suddenly trapped in a bear hug. "Nadia!" Lilian Learen whisper-screamed.

"Hey, Lilian. Listen, we have to collect these books, as many as possible." Nadia returned to the group and explained the situation. As she headed for the back, followed by all the other Apprentices, one imposter Apprentice pressed against her side and whispered, "Are you _really_ going to find Septimus Heap?" The name was such a legend that Lilian felt strange talking about him like a real person.

Nadia nodded. "Yes."

Her friend searched her face. "You've changed. I only last saw you about a half day ago but I already feel like you're a different person."

"Someone had to change," murmured Nadia. "Someone had to save us. That person just happened to be me."

The two girls fell silent and began the task of packing up the books.

It was sad, really, how many books were left. So much **Magyk,** so much knowledge...centuries worth, and it was all going to be eaten up by the **Darkenesse.**

It just wasn't fair.

Each child pulled two wheeled boxes agin behind them, had their packs fit to bursting with books, and even had some zipped inside their coats, and still there were too many left behind.

It made Nadia want to cry. But the other children were looking to her. She had to be strong.

The ride down to the base of the Wizard Tower was eerily silent. None of the children felt like talking, and everyone else had left.

Save for a small group of people battling it out to the end.

Nadia remembered her passion-filled words. _I will go get help. I am going to find Septimus Heap._

Could she? Could she live up to Julius' expectations and save everyone? She knew that if she failed, the rest of her life would be a run from ghosts, from the knowledge that she had failed everyone.

She made sure everyone got through the Ice Tunnels. They moved swiftly and got to the exit in record time.

They emerged upon a happy scene. People laughed and screamed. Small children, only five or less, looked wonderingly at the world around them, squinting at the sun until their eyes streamed.

The Apprentices ran to their respective families. Lilian squeezed her friend's shoulder and ran off to find her parents and little brother.

Nadia saw her mom, standing a ways away from everyone, looking silently out to sea. Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks.

Without saying a word, Nadia wrapped an arm around her waist and laid her head against her mother's shoulder. Her mother put her arm around Nadia's shoulders.

They stood like that for a while, staring at the gently lapping waves.

And Nadia knew, no matter what horrors she had to face in the future, she was completely happy right at that moment.


	9. Chapter 9

Nadia finally freed herself from her mother's grip and surveyed the scene. Everyone was still rejoicing. She grimaced as she remembered how willing she had been to climb in a boat and leave them all. Sure, she had been panicking and rushed...but maybe she had been trying to prove she could do something on her own.

Proving herself shouldn't have almost cost hundreds of lives.

She wandered over to Jaanet and said quietly, "I need a boat. I gotta get going."

Jaanet nodded briskly. "You can take _Muriel._ Long ago, her predecessor carried the Lost Princess, the ExtraOrdinary Apprentice, and several others across the Marshes."

Nadia smiled. That seemed like wonderful luck, to look for the Apprentice in a boat that had carried him.

"Thank you, Jannet," murmured Nadia. "Um, could you give me a quick lesson in boat basics?"

Jaanet's mouth opened. "Um...you don't...tell me you know something about boats!"

Nadia bit her lip. "Uh...sail. Cabin. Dead men. Poop deck."

Jaanet looked fit to faint. But, being Jaanet, she did not.

"I'd come with you," she said, "but I'm taking care of this lot until we're ready to go to the Port after you."

Nadia nodded. "So...boating lessons?"

Two hours (and many blisters) later, Nadia knew how to steer, how to anchor and lift off, and what to do in the case of a storm. Somewhat.

"Nothing like the real deal," Jaanet said, "but for your sake, I'll pray against a storm."

Nadia grinned. "Thanks," she said, running a finger lovingly over the edge of the boat. "She's a really pretty boat."

"I've worked hard on her. Don't blow her up or, heaven forbid, turn her into canoes again!"

 _Again?_ "I promise."

She wandered over to her mother. Before a word could escape her lips, her mom blurted out, "I'm coming with you! I don't care if you don't want an old woman along or if I can't help, but I'm not letting my baby girl out into the world alone! I-"

Nadia rested a finger on her lips. "Mum. I was going to ask you to come."

Her mum stopped, mouth still partially open. Then her face broke into a grin. "Good that that's settled," she said, grabbing their luggage and heading toward the boat.

"I want to bring the **Magyk** books, too," blurted out Nadia.

"Okay," her mother agreed. "Just the ones you rescued."

Nadia nodded her consent. Soon, everything was loaded and ready to go. With another quick set of goodbyes, mother and daughter were on their way.

The excitement of sailing overtook Nadia's senses. Death, doom, storms...none of it mattered to her at that moment as she felt the water spray against her face and the waves gently rock the boat.

Her mother stood staring out to sea. Nadia noticed a pensive expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, a lot of things. I also apparently get seasick."

Nadia left her mother to be alone.

Although it became somewhat monotonous, having no challenges, the job commanded Nadia's full attention. As she heard her mother heave over the side of the boat, she closed her eyes briefly and focused on the sound of the waves.

Soon, Nadia caught sight of a small house, half hidden by the trees. "Wanna stop for a little bit?" asked Nadia, looking over her shoulder at her pale, sweaty mother. She nodded without a word and burped.

Nadia carefully maneuvered the boat until she worried about getting caught on the sandy bottom. Then she lowered the anchor and helped her mother out of the boat.

Running up to the front of the farmhouse while her mother sat and caught her breath, Nadia pounded on the door and hopped from door to door in her impatience. All she would do was ask for a bit of food and water, she told herself.

Soon, it became apparent that no one was going to answer the door. Nadia sighed and peered in the grimy window.

The home looked cozy and warm. Nadia turned away and headed back for the boat.

Her mum looked up hopefully at her daughter's footsteps.

"Sorry. No one was home," said Nadia, heading back for the boat.

"I'm beginning to regret accompanying you," joked her mother as she followed Nadia back to _Muriel._

 **I have been spelling Jaanet's name wrong! Sorry! (And I still may be spelling it wrong! I am a horrible speller when it comes to names...)**

 **I also know nothing about boats, having lived nowhere by a real body of water until recently...forgive me if I used any incorrect terms or anything! ;-)**


	10. Chapter 10

Nadia and her mother were plain-out bored. Nadia finally asked her mom, who was finally gaining her sea legs, "Could you go look for a map? Jaanet didn't give me very specific instructions."

Her mother nodded and slipped into the cabin. She soon returned with a map.

"Oh, I found the cottage we just passed!" she exclaimed.

"That's odd. I don't remember seeing individual houses on any of the maps I've studied..." mused Nadia. "So, where are we and where should we go?"

"Turn left at the next fork," said her mum slowly. "I think."

Nadia fished out a piece of information lurking from her past and sighed. She remembered her mum telling her that the only reason she didn't fail any of her map classes was because she cheated off of her best friend.

"Let me see it," Nadia commanded. Her mother brought the map around the tiller and turned it toward Nadia.

"It's upside-down, mum."

Her mother colored and turned it around, grinning sheepishly.

"So I need to go left up here," said Nadia, mostly to herself. She glanced up from the map and gasped, violently wrenching the tiller to the right.

The boat swung sharply left, almost capsizing. "What the-" her mother shrieked, staggering.

"We almost missed our turn!" snapped Nadia, leaning against the tiller until the boat straightened out.

"Don't use that tone with me," her mother began, but had to run to the side to be sick. The turn had been too much for her.

Nadia ran a hand over her face and sighed. Her mom was right. She was being too bossy. It was just-she felt so stressed and pressured, constantly! If she didn't find the Lost Princess or the Apprentice, then the last hope of survival, the last **Magyk,** would die in the Wizard Tower.

In the distance, Nadia saw a few boats moving around. As they advanced, a line of buildings came into view.

"Mum! Mum!" hollered Nadia. "We've arrived at the Port!"

Nadia pulled up _Muriel_ and started to ask her mother to tie her to the dock when a woman walked over and shouted up at them, "What do you think you're doing?"

It took Nadia a moment to respond. "Um, docking?"

"We need to search your boat first," the woman informed mother and daughter. She flashed something resembling a badge up at them and slipped it back into her best pocket. "Come on. Climb down."

Nadia and her mother lowered the gangplank and walked carefully down. It wasn't a long journey, but Nadia still worried one of them would fall off and bash their heads open on a rock.

The woman smiled at them, adopting an easier tone. "Sorry about that. Protocol. We don't know you, you don't know us. That sort of thing."

"Oh, of course," said Nadia's mother understandingly.

"Well just search your boat, confiscate suspicious cargo, and tie her up for you," further explained the woman.

Nadia didn't see what else she could do, so she nodded and pulled her mum away.

"Where are we going to go?" Nadia asked.

"Let's find a place to stay while we design a plan," decided her mum. "Then, from there, we can learn more about the Port, see if the ExtraOrdinary Apprentice has been here recently."

"Recently?"

"He'll obviously have been here before; where else would he go?"

Nadia thought about it. Her mother had a point. Where would she go if she was fleeing from her dying kingdom with two other teenagers? The Port, of course. She knew about no other place in the world, now that she thought about it. She had just been about to begin her **Magykal Maps** unit with Julius before...it all happened.

"Let's go find a place to sleep," her mom said gently, laying a hand on her daughter's arm and steering her farther away from the docks.


	11. Chapter 11

Nadia stared at their rented room above a pie shop with growing dismay. It was an attic. A small attic, with a bed pushed up to the wall under the fuse of the diagonally vertical ceiling. A tiny, grubby window showed a bit of the street, but mostly a shifty-looking alley and another brick wall.

The woman had claimed that a brother of the Lost Apprentice had stayed here once with his wife, which made Nadia assume it was Septimus' oldest brother...Timone? No, wait...Simon! Yes, that was it!

"This seems like a good place to begin looking," noted her mother optimistically. Ms. Woods, always the optimistic one, hugged Nadia and continued, "Seeing as one of the Heaps lived here for a bit."

Nadia screwed up her face and looked disdainfully at a cobweb in the corner. "It's _gross,_ Mum."

"Be that as it may, we have to sleep somewhere," Ms. Woods said severely. "And this also seems like a good place to start our quest. Now, do you want to start looking or settle in a bit?"

"The Wizard Tower doesn't have enough to time for us to _settle in!_ " snapped Nadia. "I'm questioning the shopkeeper."

She left Ms. Woods alone, open mouthed, in the dusty room of memories, wondering if her daughter would be able to see this quest through.

"Hi," said Nadia, forcing down her dark feelings and smiling grimly at the poor pie shopkeeper.

"Hello, honey. How's the room?" simpered the woman.

Nadia took a deep breath. "Fine. Um, I have some very important questions for you. About...the castle...and...the Apprentice." How much should she tell these women? The words fells awkwardly out of the throat like bricks.

"Shoot."

Nadia just looked bemusedly at the middle-aged lady.

"Sorry. It's a Port phrase left over from a long, long time ago. It means you can ask your questions now."

Nadia made a sound of enlightenment and continued, only slightly delayed, "Do you know what's going on at the Palace."

"Course," she responded. "Everyone here does. Talk of the last five years...folks worry the **Darke** will cross over here."

"Well, there have been hundreds of people hiding in the Wizard Tower for the past five years. Most of them have escaped, but there are still Wizards trapped in the Wizard Tower Library. If they try to leave, they will die."

The pie shop owner's jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out. "No fibbing?"

"It's the honest truth," swore Nadia.

"Wow. Just... **Magyk** can do amazing things."

"Yes, ma'am."

The woman took a moment to gather her thoughts, then said, "Anything else?"

Nadia was about to reply when the bell attached to the door jingled and a man walked in. His skin was very dark and when he spoke, he had a strange, rich accent. His words came out quickly and intensely.

"May I have a pie, please?"

"Sure. What kind?"

"Meat. Any meat. Give me me your hottest and most filling." The man threw a few coins on the countertop and turned his back.

Nadia was beckoned over by the woman as she reached under the counter and dug around for a pie. She pulled out a beef pie with a fly on it and grimaced.

"Mind if I make a new one?" She asked apologetically.

"Fine, whatever." The man turned back around, flashed the two a frown, and returned to his pensive position.

The woman rolled her eyes and said to Nadia, "Anyway. What is it?"

"I'm looking for the Extra Ordinary Apprentice and the Princess," murmured Nadia. "They went missing and now we need them."

"I'm sorry-" the woman began, but the stranger broke in.

"Were they traveling with a dragon and a tall boy with curly black hair?"

"I don't know about the dragon, but yeah, the scribe," confirmed Nadia.

"I can take you to them," muttered the man. "If you're willing to pay."


	12. Chapter 12

Nadia and her mother were pressed against the window closest to the stairs, watching the man warily as he licked his fingers clean of the pie juices and sighed contentedly.

Ms. Woods shot Nadia a look that clearly read _I do not think this is a good idea and may in fact be one of your worst ideas._

Nadia bit her lip and eye-spoke back, _Be open minded. We have no other options._

"So," the man said, interrupting their silent conversation, "I assume you want to know about how I am connected to the Lost Princess and her brother, the Extra Ordinary Apprentice."

Nadia nodded slowly.

"Well, when their dragon flew in, they needed a place to keep him. Not many places you can safely keep a fire-belching dragon. I hired out my storage unit. They used it for a few days, nearly eating me outta house and home, then vanished in the middle of the night. They took something, though. I've been tracking them. They're in some farmlands-but I won't tell you all that without a price."

Nadia and Ms. Woods exchanged another look before her mother broke in. "I'm sorry, we spent all our coin on renting a room here."

The man sighed and rolled his eyes. "Had a feeling you'd say that. Or something along those lines. I don't hand out free guiding sessions."

"Please, it's a matter of life or death!" begged Nadia.

"You seem fine to me."

"No, not us! There are people trapped in the Wizard Tower at the Castle, people who can't leave unless we help them. And we can't. We're not **Magykal** enough."

"Not **Magykal** _enough?_ "

Nadia drew in a breath, knowing what he wanted her to do. Under her breath, she chanted the basic **Invisibility Spell** and glanced down to see that she was no longer visible to the human eye.

The man let out a strange noise. "Wow. You're...you're a Wizard!"

"Ordinary Wizard Apprentice," Nadia corrected him.

"Still...wow! You're valuable. Tell you what, you help me get my stolen belonging back and I'll lead you straight to the people you wanna find."

"How can we trust you?" asked Ms. Woods skeptically.

"You can't." The man grinned, half turned toward them. "I could use you and then kill you."

Ms. Woods raised a hand to her throat. Nadia balled her hands into fists.

"However, I am your only hope at finding the Lost Apprentice," the man continued. He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket that looked remarkably like a business card. On closer inspection, it was indeed confirmed to be a business card.

"Maxx Longsilver, trader, hoarder, and the best tracker in all of the Port. Maybe the Port and the Castle. Maybe the world." Maxx grinned again. "But then, I'm only certain about the Port."

Twenty minutes later, the trio had worked out a plan.

"So first," started Maxx, "I take you to my storage unit. There, we go over exactly what I lost and how I think you can help me look for it.

"We really can't just know now?" asked Nadia.

"No."

"Okay, we go to your storage unit and hear about your stolen item. Then we get supplies at the general good store."

Ms. Woods picked up the plan. "After getting supplies, we rent three horses at the stables, load up their saddlebags with supplies, and start riding."

Maxx grinned. "See? Simple!"

Nadia shot him a sideways glare. He was much too callous and rude for her liking. And he acted _much_ too familiar.

The three set off, thanking the pie shop owner as they left. She ran out the door after them, and pressed three small, steaming, blueberry pies into Nadia's palms. "Just in case you get peckish," she explained, and bustled back inside the pie shop.

Nadia smiled at the pudgy woman's retreating back and distributed the pies. They made for a delicious treat as they walked to Maxx's storage unit.

Maxx's storage unit was a large warehouse filled with all manner of strange things. Shadowy objects lurked in the corners, and objects covered with tarp loomed behind every junk pile. It was also poorly lit.

Maxx sat down on an old, creaking sofa and settled back. He gestured to two patched armchairs in front of him. "Please, sit."

Nadia settled on the very edge of one of them, spine rigid, while her miter have scrunched up her face and quickly shook her head.

"I think I'll stand."

Maxx nodded. "Okay. Anyway, I suppose you want to hear about this object." He waited until a response was given in way of a nod from Ms. Woods and a, "Yes, please," from Nadia.

"All right, then." Maxx leaned closer and looked around conspiratorially, as if checking for spies around the piles of junk-not that one would have been apparent in the poor lighting.

"It's a dragon egg."

Maxx waited until all exclamations of surprise were done before continuing. "It took me forever to get. I suppose it was because the Apprentice has one dragon already that he wanted the egg. Although why anyone would want to put up with two of those repulsive beasts is beyond me."

Nadia's eyes were growing steadily wider. "What do you want _me_ to do?"

Maxx met her gaze steadily. "To fetch me that egg. You can sense the baby dragon inside of it."

Nadia hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. I can."

Maxx smiled and leaned back again. "Then that's settled. Let's go to the general goods store!"

At the general goods store, they bought bags of nonperishable food and water. Nadia purchased two stupidly expensive charms, one to turn things into chocolate and another to enlarge anything.

They left happy, if a little low on money. "Next," thundered Maxx, "the stables!"

Ms. Woods and Nadia waited impatiently outside the stables. They were an odd type, completely enclosed, with only a few grimy windows close to the top.

Suddenly, the double doors flew open and Maxx ran out on a large horse with loaded saddlebags, leading two ponies behind him. "Hop on!" he called out.

Nadia heard a commotion from inside the stables. A sneaking suspicion began to worm its way into her mind. "Maxx..."

"Get on!" he urged forcefully, and Nadia had no choice but to obey as her mother followed Maxx's lead.

Nadia climbed onto her dappled pony and kicked it into a gallop through the streets after Maxx.

"Did you steal these?" she yell-demanded over the wind.

"Yup," Maxx called back with a cheeky grin. "And you'll be grateful for them soon!"


	13. Chapter 13

Nadia pressed herself close to the horse and clung onto its mane for dear life. She had only been horseback riding a few times-just enough to get the basics. Unfortunately, she had forgotten most of them.

 _You're supposed to cling onto the ropey thingy... No, maybe the front of the saddle? Are you supposed to hold on?_

Panic was driving all sensible thoughts from her mind and replacing them with stupid nonsense thoughts. The horse's muscles tensed and loosened underneath her as they ran.

Maxx turned a corner.

"Not good, not good, not good!" screamed Nadia, hugging the horse's neck and trying to yank it down the street. In some insane stroke of luck, it obeyed.

In that fashion, Nadia, her mother, and Maxx rode through the Port and out into the land beyond.

It was a while before Nadia's horse began to tire. The Port was a line of darkness on the horizon and the sun was getting low in the sky when Maxx stopped his horse and slid to the ground in an expert air.

Nadia pulled her horse's neck up. The poor animal squealed in protest and ground to a halt.

"I take it you don't know how to ride," said Maxx casually as Nadia carefully slid down the horse backwards.

"Not like _that_ ," she muttered. She opened her mouth, about to let a torrent of abide leave her throat, but Ms. Woods got there first.

"How _dare_ you?" she screeched. "How _dare_ you force me or my daughter into breaking the law and a situation in which neither of us are comfortable!" Ms. Woods' shirt and pants were rumpled and her hair was windswept, but a furious light in her eyes made her a very imposing figure.

Maxx started to defend himself, but Ms. Woods plowed on.

"Not only did we lay out trust in you, we promised to help you find what is dear to you! We can just as easily break that promise and leave you high and dry. You have no right..."

As her mother continued screaming at Maxx, Nadia watched with an open mouth and thought, stunned, _This is my_ mother? _My gentle, silly, sweet mother?_

Maxx finally managed to get a word in edgewise. "Please, those horses were crazy expensive-"

"So the first thought that jumped into your mind was _let's steal them, it'll be easier?_ "

"Yes?"

"The answer to that should be no!"

"Hey, from what I understand, people's lives are at stake. If these horses help us save those Wizards, than who are you to say it's wrong?"

That quieted Ms. Woods. Finally, she muttered, "Fine. Just ask us next time, since we seem to receive the harsh end of your poor choices."

Maxx huffed as Ms. Woods strode back to her horse and began stroking and murmuring softly to it. He meandered over to Nadia and whispered, one hand guarding his words, "Is she always like this?"

Nadia shook her head, still shocked, as Ms. Woods called over her shoulder, "I heard that."

They had only traveled a few more miles-at a much slower pace than their escape from the Port-before the sun touched the horizon and Maxx declared a campsite.

Soon, the horses were tethered to a withered, dead tree and a fire pit had been dug. Nadia was in the middle of finding large stones when she accidentally caught something with the edge of her boot. It sailed through the air and hit a large rock, perfect for lining the fire pit.

After delivering the rock to Maxx, the official fire expert in the group, Nadia retraced her steps and found the thing she had kicked. It was a small golden J-a pin.

She picked it up and dusted it off as she walked slowly back to the campsite.

"What's that, sweetie?" asked Ms. Woods, who hadn't said much after her outburst at Maxx.

"A pin," murmured her daughter. "It's a golden pin shaped like a J."

Ms. Woods took it from her and inspected it. "Huh. It's a nice pin. I feel sorry for whoever lost it."

Nadia took it back and, for some reason which she could not have explained to you herself, she pinned it to the front of her cloak.

When Maxx started the fire, the pin shone brilliantly in the soft, warm light.

"I don't know why," murmured Nadia thoughtfully, "but I feel that this pin is linked to our quest."

"Don't you see?" replied Maxx, who hadn't commented on the pin all evening. "J for Jenna."


	14. Chapter 14

Nadia couldn't sleep.

Maxx's words rolled around in her head, popping up again whenever she started drifting off. _J for Jenna._ Was he right? Did Nadia have a pin of royalty pinned to her tunic?

She touched the metal lightly. It chilled her fingers, having collected the chill from the night air.

Nadia gave up on sleep and wandered outside the tent (it had come with the horses).

The stars glittered far above her. Oh, she had forgotten the beauty of the stars.

She remembered a fairy tale her father had told her before his death at sea.

 **The Story of the Tailor and the Sky**

Once upon a time, there lived a skilled tailor. He had two beautiful daughters. Sadly, they could not marry, for the man was growing old and needed help maintaining his shop. The youngest daughter wanted more than anything to find true love. Her older sister was more practical, not allowing herself the dream of love.

The old tailor one day walked in on his youngest daughter and a strange boy talking happily and exchanging small kisses. They were obviously deeply in love.

The tailor was not mad, but he was deeply sad. For now, he would have to let the girl go. He wanted to keep her happy and she was obviously happy with this boy.

He gave the boy permission to marry his daughter and hobbled slowly to the pile of work waiting for him. However, the boy stopped him.

"I am not who you think I am," announced the boy, and transformed into the handsome god of the night sky. "Since you have shown the kindness of a father-in-law and the love of a father, ignoring the fact that you cannot possibly run the shop without both of your daughters. I have an offer for you."

At that time, the night sky was dark and void of anything that sparkled with beauty. The god understood that the people needed some light to keep the monsters away, and so he had been searching for a tailor to sew some beautiful lights onto the sky. Now, he had found just the man.

The moon was the first thing bestowed upon the sky, and that was where the tailor would live. His daughters cried to see him go, but he kissed both of their cheeks and said, "Don't worry. I shall sew the brightest light in your names."

With that, the god of the night flew him to the moon.

And the man began his work.

He sewed tirelessly, never resting. He sewed pictures with gleaming gems of light, constellations for the people to find.

Fear of the night slowly became erased from the world. People took walks after dusk, necks craned to look at the stars, finding the pictures and telling tales of the pictures they found.

It was many years before the old man considered his work done. The sky glowed with _stars,_ his own creation.

His daughters had waited patiently for their star for the many years. They missed their father desperately, but were able to move on with their lives. The oldest daughter became the second best tailor in the world, after her father. His shop lived on, making and repairing the finest clothing-and for an affordable price.

The youngest daughter got married to the mortal form of the night sky god. She spent her days as a storyteller, spreading the stories of the stars around the globe.

Then one night, the oldest sister stepped outside to admire her father's good work.

Directly above her, there shone the biggest, brightest star of them all. It was radiant in its beauty, lighting up the night sky and making the rest of the stars pale in comparison.

Around the world, her little sister saw it too, as she stood on a balcony overlooking the city in which she had just performed.

The girls knew their father was with them then, and would be with them always, protecting them from the dark and sewing the stars.

Nadia realized she was crying. Tears ran down her face. She wiped them away and smiled up at the blurry sky.

The stars twinkled merrily above her.

And slowly, Nadia began to develop a plan.


	15. Chapter 15

Ms. Woods and Maxx awoke to Nadia hunched over a fire, tending it carefully. "Oh, good, you're up," she said gratefully. "Maxx, we need water. I think there's a stream behind that hill." Nadia pointed and hesitantly, Maxx walked in that direction.

"Mum, I don't know how to cook this," Nadia said, glancing at her mother. She pointed to a package of food near her right foot and poked the fire. "It came with the horses."

Ms. Woods picked it up and smiled. "Oh, this is easy. Step out of the way, please."

Nadia bumped their hips together as she stood and walked over to the tent. Yawning, she slid to the ground and drifted into a light nap.

She was awoken when her mother called, "Breakfast is ready!"

The packaged food was a scrambled egg-like substance that tasted a bit like cardboard, but it was incredibly filling.

The trio lay around on the ground as the fire died away. It began to sink in that Nadia and Ms. Woods had nothing left. Their boat was being held for inspection, and it would probably be confiscated along with its goods when everyone realized the duo had vanished along with some stolen horses.

Nadia threw an arm across her face and groaned. Finding the Apprentice and his companions was proving much harder than she had expected.

 _Well, what_ did _you expect?_ Nadia berated herself. _A simple ride in which we just pop over to the Port and find them a few hours later?_

Nadia curled into herself and squeezed her eyes shut.

If the Wizards in the Wizard Tower died, it would be on her.

They got moving a half hour later.

The horses were getting restless. So were the three humans.

Nadia helped her mother pack up, using some **Magyk** in doing so. She wasn't happy about it-a rule of **Magyk** was that you never use it for personal gain-but she comforted herself in the knowledge that this was to save lives. The faster they moved, they faster the Apprentice and the Lost Princess would be found. The sooner they were found, the sooner the Wizards could be rescued.

They pushed the horses at a gallop until their strength started to flag. Then, they took a break and started again at a brisk trot. When they could, they galloped.

Nadia led the adults. Several times, they asked where she was going, and each time she ignored them. Finally, she said exasperatedly, "Oh, can you just _trust me_ already?"

Maxx frowned. "Ms. Woods, a little help?"

Ms. Woods shook her head. "She has her father's stubbornness. If she doesn't want to talk, she won't talk."

"Wonderful," muttered Maxx. "Just wonderful. Why am I putting my faith in a twelve-year-old again?"

Nadia grinned and urged her horse to go faster.

"Wait," Ms. Woods said slowly. "Didn't you say you knew where the Apprentice and his companions were?"

Maxx turned away from the Woods and stayed silent.

Nadia stopped her horse. "Hey-that's right! We're out in the Farmlands. Where are they?"

Maxx sighed. "Okay, so I might not have been _entirely_ honest with you..."

"Maxx."

"I thought they were here. For the record, I was fairly...almost...kind of positive they were here. I found the pin, too. I put it back down so I could find where I had been. And now we're here. And I don't see them or a dragon egg."

Nadia sighed.

"I don't know where your egg is," she told Maxx, "but I can sense where it has been. That way." She pointed to the right.

"How?"

"I got the idea from a story my father told me when I was a little girl.' She quickly related the tale to them. "Basically, the girls knew their father had been in the sky, had sewn the stars there. They didn't even know if he was alive or dead, but they knew that he had been there, especially when he sewed the brightest star into the sky for them. It got me thinking-what if the dragon left a trail behind for me to find? I don't know where the egg or its guardians are now. But I know where it has been. We've been following the trail all day long."

"Why didn't you want to tell us?" asked Ms. Woods after a short silence.

Nadia sighed, closing her eyes. "I don't know. I like being in charge. Being important for a change. I guess-I know it's mean-I guess I just wanted to hold that power above you guys."

Maxx opened his mouth but Ms. Woods held up a hand and warned him sharply, "You've done enough. Quiet."

Nadia stood up and hauled herself back onto her horse. "Come on," she ordered. "We need to get moving. Every minute resting is another minute for the dragons and their protectors to get away."

"She can sense something from months ago?" whispered Maxx incredulously.

"Yeah," called Nadia. "I am also exceptionally good at hearing."


	16. Chapter 16

It was their second day of riding when thy saw the smoke.

"Come on!" cried Nadia, urging her horse onward. The created was tired from hours of a brisk trot, however, and could only speed up its plodding a little bit.

"Don't hurt it!" called Ms. Woods worryingly.

Nadia sighed. "But there's smoke! From a dragon! I sense a life force up there!"

"Is it a dragon egg life force?" asked Maxx eagerly.

Nadia cast him a scornful look. "I can't sense unborn beings. No one can."

"Well, you don't _know_ that," muttered Maxx, slightly hurt.

Nadia finally neared a tree. She dismounted and tied her horse to a tree. Taking off at a sprint, she practically flew up the hill and down the other side, much faster than her horse had been moving.

"Nadia, wait!" cried Ms. Woods, to no avail.

A scream resonated from the other side, along with a deep shout-a man's voice.

Ms. Woods gasped and abandoned her horse. It ambled casually over to Nadia's horses' side and began munching the thick grass.

Nadia was standing frozen at the bottom of the hill. A dark-haired, lean young woman was crouched in a pose that would make it easy to duck out of the way of more danger. She held a wickedly curved dagger to Nadia's throat.

Behind her, a boy with black hair was calming a tiny dragon.

And behind him, a young man with curly, straw-colored hair struggled to control a large green dragon.

Ms. Woods screamed, a piercing sound.

"Jen, let the girl go," said the black-haired boy in a weary voice.

"We don't know who she is or who came with her!" snapped the Lost Princess Jenna of the Castle.

"It's just my mother and I," whispered Nadia. "And the man who you stole that from." She cautiously raised a finger to point to the young dragon who had settled, but was still watching everything with an alert gaze.

"Maxx!" Jenna tensed even further.

"Hullo!" Maxx called cheerfully from the top of the hill.

Ms. Woods covered her face with her hands. Nadia would have smacked her forehead if she wasn't in danger of being gutted.

"Not you," groaned Septimus as Jenna started toward him. The dark-haired man caught her arm and held her close as she struggled. He whispered some thing in her ear and she stopped fighting, leaning back against him. She still looked furious.

"Listen, I know we had a misunderstanding when we last saw each other, but I want to make up!" Maxx said gently. "So, I'll just be taking my dragon, and-"

"We're bonded," said the dark-haired man flatly.

Maxx deflated. "Seriously? The one chance I get at raising a dragon,, if all creatures, and a few thieves snatch away it and my chance!"

Septimus ran a hand over his face, sighing deeply. "We have a lot to talk about," he finally said, meeting Nadia's gaze unwaveringly. "As long as you don't try to steal the dragon, we won't kill you. Deal?"


	17. Chapter 17

Princess Jenna, ExtraOrdinary Apprentice Septimus, and the dark haired man (whose name was Beetle) took the news surprisingly well. Jenna's face was as white as a sheet's, but she didn't try to kill anyone again, which Nadia took as a good sign. Septimus scowled and looked away. Beetle just lowered his head, looking absolutely defeated.

"Please," Nadia finished. "You have to help us save the Wizards!"

The trio of young adults exchanged glances. "We'll definitely think about it," Septimus finally promised.

"Think about it?" snapped Nadia. "There are _lives_ at stake and you'll _think about it_?"

Instead of getting angry, Jenna looked sadly at Nadia. "You don't understand. Septimus and I...our parents, our family, our pets...they're all dead. Septimus barely managed to get us out alive. It's...were shocked that anyone, let alone hundreds of people, managed to survive. We can get the Wizards out, possibly...but it is unlikely that all of us will survive.

"You're asking one of us to die."

The group fell silent. Nadia cursed herself silently. How foolish she had been, to think that Septimus could simply save the day and every life involved!

But it was worth it, to continue the legacy of the castle. At least, that's what her brain told her.

Her heart was talking a little differently.

Nadia lay curled into a ball in the tent she was sharing with her mother and Princess Jenna. She should have felt in awe at sharing her sleeping quarters with a princess, but really, she was too preoccupied with thinking up a plan to worry.

What if they just saved as many wizards as possible? No, no, no. None could die. It was not their place to choose who would live and who would die.

What if they left the fastest ones and had them run for the exit? Nope. Not worth the risk.

Finally, Nadia struck upon a possible solution, just as the sun crested the hills surrounding their small valley. She drifted off into a light slumber.

Nadia was quickly awoken by Maxx. "Rise and shine!" he shouted from his spot outside the tent. "Come on guys, those wizards aren't getting any younger!"

Nadia muttered a curse and staggered to her feet.

After changing into one of Jenna's spare outfits-grey leggings and a black tunic-Nadia joined the others around a campfire Ms. Woods was using to cook the three young adults what they called their "first good meal in three years."

The group was silent as they ate. All that could be heard were a few nearby birds and Spitfire gently playing with the baby dragon.

"What did you name him?" Maxx finally asked quietly, watching the dragons.

"We-we felt bad about stealing him, so..."

"Maximilian," Beetle supplied. "We named him Maximilian."

Maxx grinned. "That's not actually my name, but it's good enough for me!" He continued watching the dragons tumble around the grassy clearing.

Nadia was itching to share her plan, but she decided to wait until Jenna, Septimus, and Beetle were ready to discuss. She focused on her porridge, slowly eating every bite methodically and carefully. It gave her something to do and think about other than the impending death of...someone.

 _Not if your plan works,_ a little voice in her head reminded her. She decided to focus on that optimistic little voice.

"So," Ms. Woods said, breaking the tense silence, "how did you escape from the palace?"

Septimus sighed. "We used a **Darke** cloak. The **Darke** recognized it as one of its own and let us through. We could barely fit three people under it, and the cloak dissolved a year ago. After that, we sailed an old fishing ship to the port. It was thought that we had stolen it-they didn't recognize us and figured there was no way three teenagers could own a boat. Anyway, it was taken into custody. We haven't seen it since. We lived on the streets for a year before finding the pie shop where we next lived. We lived there for about a year and three months, until we discovered Maxx's warehouse. We saw him carrying in the dragon egg, stole it, and fled the Port when he discovered us. This has been our home ever since."

Nadia thought about all of those nights that she has spent cozy in her own bed in the Wizard Tower while these three faced the elements in puny camping tents they were forced to use as permanent living spaces. She shivered with sympathy.

"I know you don't want to go back," she began. "I wouldn't, either. But the thing is, the last of the Wizards are in there, holding out against the **Darkeness.** We have a chance to save them. And I have a plan I believe will ensure that all of us and the Wizards survive."

Jenna and Beetle eyed her cautiously. Septimus leaned forward.

"I'm listening."


	18. Chapter 18

"This is a crazy plan," Maxx called to Nadia. He was still a bit miffed from having to leave the dragons in the plains so as not to cause panic.

"I think it's quite simple," she retorted, hunching low over her horse and urging it to go faster.

"Oh, it seems simple. But will the Wizards be able to pull it off? And how fast will we have to move through the Ice Tunnels to escape the **Darkeness**?"

"Maxx?" Nadia asked.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Well, thanks." Thankfully, he followed her order.

Nadia was determined not to let him get to her. Her plan _had_ to work. It just had to. If it didn't...no. She couldn't think that way. It seemed easy enough. But, like Maxx suggested, what if somehow, the Wizards wouldn't be able to meet the requirements for their rescue? And say they did. The **Darkeness** would come crashing in, very quickly. They would have to run through the Ice Tunnels at breakneck speed to reach the beach on time. And what if Septimus couldn't stop the **Darke** there?

There were so many ifs, it made Nadia's head hurt. She longed for the simple days before the **Darkeness.** She longed to be a carefree little girl again. She longed for her father most of all.

Well, he wasn't here to help her. However, she did have her mother, a crazy horse thief, and three broken young adults to help her.

Nadia sighed deeply. _We're doomed._

The Port was still as run down and gross as Nadia remembered. She hardly focused on that, though.

She was too busy thinking up a plan to steal a boat.

For her plan to work, they sorely needed a boat. And Nadia didn't want to steal a boat.

Well, she was going to steal back _her_ boat, but that didn't count.

"So, how are we planning to get your boat back?" asked Jenna. She and Septimus had slowly ridden on Spitfyre across the meadows, but now that they were back in the Port, both the dragons and the stolen horses had been left behind with Beetle.

"I don't know," Nadia murmured. "It's my first time stealing something..."

"I thought you stole the horses?"

"Technically, that was Maxx. He was the one who figured out how to sneak them out all saddled up and everything." Nadia began biting her fingernails as she walked and thought, a habit that only ever arose when she was very nervous.

Ms. Woods noticed. She hurried over and grabbed Nadia's wrist. "Uh, uh. We're not starting that again."

Nadia sighed and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I just don't know what to do." Her voice cracked on the last word and she took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Easy," Maxx said. "We cause a distraction, sneak past the boat guards, have our pick of a boat, and take off into open waters!"

Nadia stared at him. "Why the heck didn't you suggest that _earlier_?"

"I wanted to see if you could figure something out. Sadly, you couldn't. Sorry, kid. Guess you're not cut out to be a criminal."

Nadia began to take offense before she fully processed what he had said. "Thanks," she instead replied. Ms. Woods shot her an approving look.

"I'm going to need my stuff," Maxx said decisively, once more in his element. "To the warehouse!"


	19. Chapter 19

As Maxx loaded a bag full of miscellaneous tools, Nadia tapped her foot nervously and thought about just how illegal her life had become. First, she had united with an outlaw. Then, they had stolen horses and supplies. Now, they were going to steal back a boat.

It wasn't really stealing, Nadia decided, if it had been _her_ boat to begin with. Really, the Port had stolen her boat from _her._ Not the other way around.

Plus, they probably wouldn't be able to pull it off, so there was that.

Maxx straightened up and smiled widely. "Now, who's ready to go steal back a boat?!"

"How are you always so sure of yourself ?" Nadia asked Maxx as they snuck through the streets of the Port. The horses had been left back at the warehouse, as they would be conspicuous, the exact opposite of what was currently needed.

"Well, I think of it this way," Maxx said, staring fixedly ahead. "If I don't believe in myself, it lowers my chances of success by a big amount. It also lowers the faith in me of those around me. So I can either spend my life knowing that I'm going to fail, or knowing I'm going to succeed. And life's short, kid. So I picked the second option."

Nadia just stared at him for a second before proclaiming, "I think that's the most mature thing you've ever said."

Maxx smiled slightly. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment?"

Nadia giggled and fell silent as they approached the docks.

Maxx turned to the group. "Now," he whispered. "Here's the deal. I'm going to need a distraction to draw those two guards away from their post and down the street," he began. "I want Jenna, Beetle, and Septimus to do that. Pretend to have an argument and then whip out your weapons. Fake fight, moving your way down the street. The guards will be bound to follow you and try to break it up by the law. Once you've drawn them out of sight, run. Go back to the warehouse, wait, and then come back."

"How long are we waiting?" Beetle questioned as Jenna nodded and checked the knife at her waist.

"Give me five minutes," Maxx decided. "I should be good by then."

Jenna and Beetle nodded.

"Nadia, Ms. Woods? You're with me. When the guards are drawn away, I'll need a lookout as I pick the lock to the warehouse. Once in, we find your boat, open the door leading to the water, and wait in the bay. We'll park the boat at a dock to make it seem like we've been there all the time. You guys will have to act natural, got it?"

Mother and daughter nodded in unison.

"All right," Maxx said, hissing air through his teeth and holding out his hand. "For the wizards."

Nadia placed her hand readily on top of his. "For the wizards."

The rest of the group did the same.

"Now, let's go!" whisper-shouted Maxx, and their hands flew into the air.


	20. Chapter 20

Nadia, Maxx, Septimus, and Ms. Woods watched from the shadows as Jenna and Beetle sauntered forward confidently.

Jenna and Beetle stood in plain sight of the guards, who watched them with interest, obviously having an otherwise uneventful day.

 _Good_ , Nadia thought. _It'll be easier to make a diversion that way._

"Honey, can I talk to you?" Jenna asked loudly in an angered voice.

"Sure," Beetle said, his hands clenching and releasing nervously.

"Oh, they're good," whispered Maxx delightedly.

"Somebody told me that you've been seeing another woman," Jenna started, accusatory.

Beetle visibly jumped. "Who told you that?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yeah, it matters! Because it's not in any way true, and they're obviously lying and should be punished."

"You're rambling. You always ramble when you lie," Jenna said, taking a step back. "Promise me you're not seeing another woman! Swear on the first ExtraOrdinary!"

Nadia gasped with delight. That was the most serious of swears, even for Port citizens.

Beetle sighed, hanging his head. "I...I can't."

"I knew it!" Jenna shrieked triumphantly. She pushed back her cloak so the knives on either side of her belt gleamed quite obviously.

The guards started forward as Jenna drew the knives and Beetle dashed down another alley. Jenna gave chase.

"Stop right there!" the guards shouted, to no avail.

"Now," hissed Maxx, shoving Septimus. He staggered out of the shadows, catching the attention of the guards.

"She won't stop," he said in a slightly trembling voice. "Men have wronged her before, and..."

"And what?" one of the guards snapped.

Septimus slowly lifted his shirt to reveal a thick white scar running from his bottom right rib to his left hipbone. He had actually gotten it in his Young Army days, but it did the trick. The guards' eyes widened, and they took off down the alley with a higher level of urgency.

"Now all of you can stand guard," Maxx said after a moment, obviously pleased that the guards had not requested Septimus to follow.

Nadia crouched by Maxx while her mother and Septimus stood warily in the street. Whenever they saw a pedestrian, they called to Maxx and Nadia, then hastily began chatting about nothing in particular while Nadia and Maxx did the same.

Finally, Maxx had the lock open. It was probably only a few minutes, but it felt like ages to Nadia.

The quartet slipped inside the Port Boat Holding and Checking building.

Maxx whistled admiringly. "This is pretty cool."

Nobody else could speak.

The room's ceiling soared to an unbelievable height. Sure, it had been tall from the outside, but the fact was punctuated by all the boats parked in various lanes.

The huge room was divided into a checkerboard pattern. Ropes marked four lanes going vertically, while another four ran horizontally. All in all, there were 25 areas where boats could be anchored. Many of them were full.

A rickety wooden walkway surrounding the room spiraled up, using short staircases to get from level to level. Seeing the soaring masts of some of the boats, Nadia imagined having to lean out over the shaky walkway and poke around, the water far beneath you...She shuddered and looked down.

Some of the boats were small. Some were medium-sized, like the boat Ms. Woods and Nadia had piloted into the Port. Others were huge, masts soaring almost up to the ceiling. Nadia knew those boats must have come from far away, holding what? Many foreigners, no doubt. Many foreign goods, perhaps meant to be traded in the marketplace. Nadia remembered with a pang of nostalgia the Northern traders visiting the castle before the Big Freeze, almost like clockwork, to barter their strange goods. She had loved to prowl through the stalls with her mother and father, and later, just her mother.

"Which boat is yours?" Maxx asked, snapping her from her reverie.

"Oh! Um..." Nadia scanned the room, but Ms. Woods found it first.

" _Muriel_! There she is!"

Maxx strode around the walkway. The boat was in the center of the room.

"There's got to be some way for them to get to it..." he muttered, glancing around. His eyes fixed on an object underneath the walkway and he laughed with delight.

"What? What is it?" Nadia asked anxiously.

"You see the alleys between water squares?"

Nadia did. She had wondered why they were there, but hadn't thought too much on it.

"They use these" -and here Maxx grabbed a rope and whipped out a tiny boat from underneath him-"to move around the room! Simple and genius at the same time!"

As he eased himself into the boat, Nadia took a closer look at it. It was tiny, painted blue and white-sailor's colors. Was it run on a motor or-?

"You pedal!" shouted Maxx giddily, sounding like a child in a candy shop.

Nadia rolled her eyes as Septimus glanced outside and cried, "Hurry! Please! The guards are coming back!"

Maxx cursed profoundly and pedaled harder.

Nadia bit her nails nervously. "Please," she whispered.

"Please."


End file.
